The head of the Economic Enterprise Development Department of the Negros Occidental provincial government is the new city administrator of Bacolod, Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez announced on Tuesday, Nov. 28.
Benitez said he is appointing Lucille Gelvolea to the post because he already worked closely with her when he was the pro bono consultant for trade and investment promotions of the Negros Occidental provincial government.
Gelvolea had also served as pro bono consultant on special projects and economic affairs of Bacolod City, Benitez said.
She was also OIC provincial administrator of Negros Occidental under then Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr.
Gelvolea is retiring from the provincial government and is expected to assume her post as city administrator on December 1 but it might be delayed for a week depending on the paper work needed, Benitez said.
She met with the Bacolod City councilors on Monday night and with the city government department heads on Tuesday, the mayor said.
“All that she will do will be with the blessing of the mayor, so what I’m looking for is really not an alter ego, what I want is somebody who will implement and execute what I instruct,” Benitez said.
Benitez said he is a hands on mayor, “I was elected to this office so I’m in charge of all the affairs of the city”.
He said Gelvolea has no political affiliations in Bacolod, which is good because she is coming in clean. He reiterated that there should be no political color coding of people, judgments should not be based on political affiliations but on facts.
Gelvolea will be replacing lawyer Pacifico Maghari III who resigned as city administrator on Nov. 1.
Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said he congratulates Gelvolea on her new appointment as city administrator.
“It is a position that entails a lot of work and as mentioned by Mayor Albee before, the person that he would like to appoint is somebody that he has worked with before. Somebody who can implement the programs mayor Albee will set,” he said.
Lacson said Gelvolea asked permission from him and he wished her well. ”It’s not going to be easy but if you have your heart and soul in your job, things will go well,” he told her.
“I even encouraged her, she did a very decent job here. Her appointment as city administrator speaks very well of the quality of workers we have at the provincial government,” he added.
Lacson said a new provincial government EEDD head has yet to be named.*